Future of CORBA for Distributed Real-time & Embedded Systems Tuesday, April 1, 2014 , ICALEPCS

1. Institute for Software Integrated Systems Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee Future of CORBA for Distributed Real-time & Embedded SystemsTuesday, April 1, 2014, ICALEPCS Douglas C. Schmidt d.schmidt@vanderbilt.edu www.dre.vanderbilt.edu/~schmidt/

2. Distributed Real-time & Embedded (DRE) Systems Present & Future • Enterprise distributed real-time & embedded (DRE) systems • Network-centric “systems of systems” • Stringent simultaneous QoS demands • e.g., dependability, security, scalability, etc. • Dynamic context The Past • Stand-alone real-time & embedded systems • Stringent quality of service (QoS) demands • e.g., latency, jitter, footprint • Resource constrained This talk focuses on technologies for enhancing DRE system QoS, productivity, & quality

3. Diverse Mission-Critical DRE System Characteristics SCADA & C2 Transport Management Air Traffic Control OpControl These systems have characteristics of enterprise & real-time embedded systems • Typically heterogeneous & complex, requiring support for: • Different hardware platforms • Software written in different programming languages • Highly distributed net-centric environment(s) • Need to assure efficient, predictable, & scalable end-to-end QoS • Need dynamic reconfiguration to support varying workloads over operational lifecycle of system • Need to be affordable to reduce initial system acquisition costs & recurring upgrade & evolution costs

4. Challenge: Selecting Middleware for DRE Systems • Develop software entirely in-house using proprietary solutions • Develop software using domain-specific, community-based technologies • Develop software using latest commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies • Develop software using mature standards-based technologies

5. Overview of CORBA • Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) • A family of specifications • OMG is the standards body • CORBA defines interfaces, not implementations • It simplifies development of distributed applications by automating/encapsulating • Object location • Connection & memory mgmt. • Parameter (de)marshaling • Event & request demultiplexing • Error handling & fault tolerance • Object/server activation • Concurrency • Security • CORBA shields applications from hetero-geneous platform dependencies • e.g., languages, operating systems, networking protocols, hardware

6. Overview of Real-time CORBA • Real-time CORBA adds QoS control to regular CORBA to improve application predictability, e.g., • Bounding priority inversions & • Managing resources end-to-end • Policies & mechanisms for resource configuration/control in Real-time CORBA include: • Processor Resources • Thread pools • Priority models • Portable priorities • Synchronization • Communication Resources • Protocol policies • Explicit binding • Memory Resources • Request buffering Real-time CORBA address some (but by no means all) important DRE system development challenges

7. Why Use CORBA? • After all people think CORBA is dead • Why? • Associated with legacy systems • Mid 90’s technology therefore must be obsolete • Perceived as “big & slow” • Not exciting to write about • They think it died of complexity • Why not? • Inclusive technology • Committed, seasoned user base • Maturity has led to highly time/space optimized ORBs • What works is boring • It is solving increasingly complex issues

8. Span of Middleware Technologies for DRE Systems MicroSoft .NET Java / RMI Market Share CORBA (GPP) RT CORBA (DSP) RT CORBA (FPGA) OMG Data Distribution Service (DDS) MPI Non-real-time Business Systems Soft Real-time (Display and decision support Hard Real-time (sensor and actuator Control) Extreme Real-time (signal processing) Source: OACE Tech. & Stds. Sept. 2003

9. Alternate Technology Message Speeds Transport characteristics eventually dominate large messages Source:Gautam H. Thaker Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Labs Camden, NJ www.atl.external.lmco.com/projects/QoS/compare/dist_oo_compare_ipc.html

10. The Future of CORBA • Improvements in CORBA features & performance • Extensions to the CORBA object model • Complementary technologies

11. The Future of CORBA • Improvements in CORBA features & performance • Extensions to the CORBA object model • Complementary technologies

12. Fixing Problems with the CORBA C++ Mapping • Memory management is too complicated & easy to get wrong due to lots of rules to memorize, e.g., • Storing strings within sequences & structs • Not handling the return reference from an operation, but passing it to another operation • Not setting length() of sequence properly • Not duplicating object references properly • Not using ServantBase_var properly • Lack of standard C++ classes makes CORBA look “old & lame” & causes extra work for programmers • e.g., it’s a lot of work to move the data back & forth between the standard C++ types you want to manipulate & the types you need to pass as parameters • A tremendous amount of code gets generated for the C++ mapping, leading to bloat & slow compilation • The size difference between the same essential set of functionality can be roughly on the order of 5:1 • e.g., for e*ORB C & C++ on Red Hat 9 Linux compiled with gcc 3.2 the C libec_poa.so is 29 kbytes C++ vs libe_mpoa.so is 105 kbytes

13. Top 10 Things to Fix in C++ Mapping • Fix valuetypes so they use consistent reference counting scheme • All types should offer exception-safe swap() operations • Use bool, wchar_t, wstring, std::string, std::vector, etc. • Do not introduce new types unless you must • Repeat number (1) until you reach (10) • All memory should be self-managed • This includes CORBA::Object, sequences, strings, structures of all types, etc • Structs & unions should have useful constructors • Arrays should be implemented using std::vector<> • Many more suggestions in CUJ columns by Vinoski & Schmidt • http://www.ddj.com/dept/cpp/184403757 • http://www.ddj.com/dept/cpp/184403765 • http://www.ddj.com/dept/cpp/184403778

14. Improvements in CORBA Performance GIOP Everywhere GPP DSP FPGA e*ORB C & C++ ICO e*ORB C & C++ Extensible Transport Framework One benefit of CORBA being a mature standard is that it runs in multiple processor types, including GPP, DSP, & FPGA environments Key Advantages: • CORBA message processing can be executed directly in H/W, which is 100x faster than in S/W • Eliminates the need for S/W proxies/adapters on GPPs, which Reduces overhead/latency & increases throughput • Supports direct access to application components running on H/W • Supports vision of architectural consistency across all aspects of the application

15. The Future of CORBA • Improvements in CORBA features & performance • Extensions to the CORBA object model • Complementary technologies

16. Drawbacks of CORBA Middleware Application Interface Development & Design Deployment IDL Object “Other” Definitions Implementations Implementations IDL Language Compiler Applications Tools Stubs & Skeletons Libraries Distributed Object Computing (DOC) CORBA 2.x application development can be tedious • DOC CORBA doesn’t specify how configuration & deployment of objects should be done to create complete applications • Proprietary infrastructure & scripts are written by developers to facilitate this • DOC CORBA IDL doesn’t specify how to group related interfaces to offer a service family • Such “bundling” must be done by developers via idioms & patterns DOC CORBA 2.x defines interfaces & policies, but not implementations

17. Solution: Component Middleware • Specify the infrastructure needed to configure & deploy components throughout a distributed system … … … Container <ComponentAssemblyDescription id="a_HUDDisplay"> ... <connection> <name>GPS-RateGen</name> <internalEndPoint><portName>Refresh</portName><instance>a_GPS</instance> </internalEndPoint> <internalEndPoint> <portName>Pulse</portName><instance>a_RateGen</instance> </internalEndPoint> </connection> <connection> <name>NavDisplay-GPS</name> <internalEndPoint><portName>Refresh</portName><instance>a_NavDisplay</instance> </internalEndPoint> <internalEndPoint><portName>Ready</portName><instance>a_GPS</instance> </internalEndPoint> </connection> ... </ComponentAssemblyDescription> … • Creates a standard “virtual boundary” around application component implementations that interact only via well-defined interfaces • Define standard container mechanisms needed to execute components in generic component servers …

18. Overview of Lightweight CORBA Component Model … … … Container Container Middleware Bus Replication Security Persistence Notification A/V Streaming Scheduling Load Balancing • Components encapsulate application “business” logic • Components interact via ports • Provided interfaces, e.g.,facets • Required connection points, e.g., receptacles • Event sinks & sources • Attributes • Containers provide execution environment for components with common operating requirements • Components/containers can also • Communicate via a middleware bus and • Reuse common middleware services … Lightweight CCM defines interfaces & policies, & some implementations www.dre.vanderbilt.edu/~schmidt/OMG-CCM-Tutorial.ppt

19. Applying Model-Driven Engineering to Lightweight CCM … … … Container Container … 1 2 3 www.dre.vanderbilt.edu/~schmidt/OMG-CCM-Tutorial.ppt

20. The Future of CORBA • Improvements in CORBA features & performance • Extensions to the CORBA object model • Complementary technologies

21. Overview of the Data Distribution Service (DDS) • DDS is an highly efficient OMG pub/sub standard • e.g., fewer layers, less overhead Topic R Data Writer R Data Reader R Publisher Subscriber RT Info to Cockpit & Track Processing DDS Pub/Sub Infrastructure Tactical Network & RTOS

22. Overview of the Data Distribution Service (DDS) • DDS is an highly efficient OMG pub/sub standard • e.g., fewer layers, less overhead • DDS provides meta-events for detecting dynamic changes Topic R NEW TOPIC Data Writer R Data Reader R NEW SUBSCRIBER Publisher Subscriber NEW PUBLISHER

23. Overview of the Data Distribution Service (DDS) • DDS is an highly efficient OMG pub/sub standard • e.g., fewer layers, less overhead • DDS provides meta-events for detecting dynamic changes • DDS provides policies for specifying many QoS requirements of tactical information management systems, e.g., • Establish contracts that precisely specify a wide variety of QoS policies at multiple system layers Topic R HISTORY RESOURCE LIMITS Data Writer R S1 Data Reader R S2 S3 S4 S5 Publisher Subscriber S6 S7 LATENCY X S7 S7 S6 S5 S4 S3 S2 S1 COHERENCY RELIABILITY

24. Overview of the Data Distribution Service (DDS) DESTINATION FILTER • DDS is an highly efficient OMG pub/sub standard • e.g., fewer layers, less overhead • DDS provides meta-events for detecting dynamic changes • DDS provides policies for specifying many QoS requirements of tactical information management systems, e.g., • Establish contracts that precisely specify a wide variety of QoS policies at multiple system layers • Move processing closer to data Topic R Data Writer R S1 Data Reader R SOURCE FILTER S2 S3 S4 S5 Publisher Subscriber S6 S7 TIME-BASED FILTER

25. Concluding Remarks • Software industry is heavily driven by “fads” • i.e., “Teen-age boy band” syndrome • CORBA is no longer the new kid on the block • In fact, it has a lot of facial hair, much of it gray ;-) • With maturity comes certain virtues • High performance & integration with many platforms, languages, & technologies SCA www.dre.vanderbilt.edu/~schmidt/ICALEPCS.ppt